Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Bridgetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,488 in Bridgetown, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Bridgetown
Learn more

Bridgetown Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Bridgetown

🇧🇧 Barbados

$2,488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Bridgetown

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Bridgetown actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,488 in Bridgetown.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Bridgetown $2,488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,745 in Bridgetown.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Bridgetown $3,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $5,001 in Bridgetown.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Bridgetown $5,001

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 52% less than in Bridgetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Bridgetown is 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$19.64 BBD 39.27

-44.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$67.9 BBD 136

-36.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.11 BBD 20.21

16.52%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$5.78 BBD 11.56

-34.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.10

$2.48 BBD 4.96

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.53 BBD 3.06

-49.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$2.57 BBD 5.13

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$6.09 BBD 12.18

-19.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$4.17 BBD 8.34

-66.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.90 BBD 7.80

-43.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$2.94 BBD 5.89

-51.70%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$6.37 BBD 12.74

-60.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$8.96 BBD 17.91

-18.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$9.69 BBD 19.38

-20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$7.98 BBD 15.96

59.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$5.37 BBD 10.74

-48.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.21 BBD 6.43

-57.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$5.27 BBD 10.53

-51.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.87 BBD 9.75

-56.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$1.79 BBD 3.58

8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$2.25 BBD 4.51

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.66 BBD 5.32

-56.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$3.20 BBD 6.39

-63.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.20 BBD 20.40

-2.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$1.85 BBD 3.69

-14.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$1.86 BBD 3.73

43.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.73 BBD 3.46

-68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$106 BBD 211

-74.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$7.45 BBD 14.89

-33.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$40.43 BBD 80.9

-86.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$2.01 BBD 4.02

-28.36%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$37.2K BBD 74.5K

-44.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$35.7K BBD 71.3K

-34.19%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,594

$194 BBD 387

-56.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$440

$56.4 BBD 113

-58.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$82.7 BBD 165

-65.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$62.2 BBD 124

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$15.04 BBD 30.09

-65.82%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,882

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$52.8 BBD 106

-17.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$33.66 BBD 67.3

23.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$123 BBD 245

-39.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$82.1 BBD 164

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,177 BBD 2,354

-16.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$1,113 BBD 2,226

-65.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,159 BBD 4,318

-20.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,013 BBD 4,026

-46.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

$3,490 BBD 6,979

12.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

$3,503 BBD 7,007

75.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,001 BBD 4,001

-63.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

6.85

67.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bridgetown: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Bridgetown

$1.1K 44.7% 192% $732

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Bridgetown

$401 16.1% 57.4% $146

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Bridgetown

$298 12% 47.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Bridgetown

$333 13.4% 143% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Bridgetown

$131 5.3% 17.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Bridgetown

$92 3.7% 37.1% $25

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Bridgetown

$120 * 4.8% 138% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $1,177 in Bridgetown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgetown pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $68 in Bridgetown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $401 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇧🇧 Bridgetown

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Barbados Dollar BBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BBD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.97 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Bridgetown 3,030 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Bridgetown

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Bridgetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Bridgetown. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,177 in Bridgetown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Bridgetown. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $2,488 in Bridgetown – Playa del Carmen is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,488 in Bridgetown, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Bridgetown. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value at $1,204 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bridgetown. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.